One of my favorite podcasts is The Morning Stream. It’s a daily show from hosts Scott Johnson and Brian Ibbott where they talk about weird news, geeky stuff, pop culture, gaming, and more. Every day they have segments with other geeky people who cover topics like politics, model and prop building, technology, etc. My favorite weekly segment is Therapy Thursday. It is a time where a licensed therapist, and the host’s sister, comes on the show and either helps people with their problems or just talks about things you can do to help your mental health.
A couple of weeks ago, she was talking about human mental development and midlife crises. I was particularly struck by an observation she shared (I’m paraphrasing greatly here) that part of the joy of living is that we are constantly experiencing and learning new things. And that sometimes as we get older, it is easier to fall into a rut just because we’ve lived a long time and experienced so much that truly new experiences are harder to come by. And that the things that used to be exciting no longer are, just because we know enough that it doesn’t bring us as much joy as it did when it was new and exciting.
And this can relate to hobbies, work, even relationships sometimes. I know that when I first got into the hobby of whiskey, everything was exciting. Even noticing that Wild Turkey and Four Roses were made in the same town was pretty thrilling. These days, however, I pretty much know what to expect from most of the things I buy. Either because I’ve had it before, I’ve had something else from the same distillery, or because it was sourced from a distillery that I’m familiar with. Truly exciting pours are harder to come by.
And I think that might be why I enjoy single barrel private selections so much. As I’ve discussed before, for good or ill, you never know what you are going to get out of them. I mean most of the time they follow the “house style” of the brand, but occasionally it is something strange and wonderful. Take the “Gangsta Riff” from the last post. With its strong wintergreen notes, it was very much outside the style of any of the other picks. And when that happens, I get a glimpse of the excitement that I used to get from every pour. Which is why I keep doing this.
All that said, tonight’s Private Selections are not going to stray far from the house style. Jack Daniel’s has too much invested in their style to let anything go too far astray. But they are still different from one another, and that’s fun too.
Jack Daniel's Single Barrel (Selected for Minnesota Whiskey Society)
Purchase Info: $49.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Zipps Liquor, Minneapolis, MN
Price Per Drink (50 mL): $3.33
Details: 47% ABV. Rick: L-22. Barrel: 20-01841. Bottled on 4/8/20.
Nose: Nutmeg, mint, dried bananas, and caramel.
Mouth: Huge hit of baking spice initially. Followed by banana, caramel, and more nutmeg.
Finish: Warm and medium length. Notes of mint, caramel, and baking spice.
Thoughts: Much spicier than your usual Jack Daniel's products. A strong emphasis on the banana notes. This is quite tasty and if given a glass blind, I would be initially surprised to find out it is Jack Daniel's.
Jack Daniel's Single Barrel (Selected by Binny’s)
Purchase Info: $49.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Binny’s, Bloomington, IL
Price Per Drink (50 mL): $3.33
Details: 47% ABV. Rick: R-3. Barrel: 20-02745. Bottled on 5/29/20.
Nose: Nutmeg, cinnamon, and mint.
Mouth: Cinnamon candies, orange zest, nutmeg, vanilla,
Finish: Spicy and warm. Medium length. Nutmeg, banana, cloves, and orange zest.
Thoughts: Very tasty. I'm really enjoying the baking spice and citrus combination. Dry, but not astringent. Really enjoying this one.
Comparison: Neither of these would register as Jack Daniel's if I was given a glass blind, but neither are far outside of the wheelhouse of the Jack Daniel's flavor profile. What I enjoy is how different they are from each other. My favorite thing to do with single barrel picks is to compare them. To see how closely they stick to the standard flavor profile. Both of these emphasize a different portion of that standard. Binny's is a spicier version of Jack Daniel's Single Barrel, whereas Minnesota Whiskey Society is really emphasizing the banana notes that Jack Daniel's is known for. This was a very fun comparison.
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